Animal models of retinal disease

Abstract

Diseases of the retina are the leading causes of blindness in the industrialized world. The recognition that animals develop retinal diseases with similar traits to humans has led to not only a dramatic improvement in our understanding of the pathogenesis of retinal disease but also provided a means for testing possible treatment regimes and successful gene therapy trials. With the advent of genetic and molecular biological tools, the association between specific gene mutations and retinal signs has been made. Animals carrying natural mutations usually in one gene now provide well-established models for a host of inherited retinal diseases, including retinitis pigmentosa, Leber congenital am..